1. Technical Field
The subject matter disclosed herein is generally directed to the field of semiconductor manufacturing, and, more particularly, to an interposer structure with an embedded capacitor structure and various methods of making same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Integrated circuit technology uses electrical devices, e.g., transistors, resistors, capacitors, etc., to formulate vast arrays of functional circuits. The complexity of these circuits requires the use of an ever-increasing number of linked electrical devices so that the circuit may perform its intended function. As the number of transistors increases, the integrated circuitry dimensions shrink. One challenge in the semiconductor industry is to develop improved methods for electrically connecting and packaging circuit devices which are fabricated on the same and/or on different wafers or chips. In general, it is desirable in the semiconductor industry to construct transistors which occupy less surface area on the silicon chip/die.
Conventionally, an integrated circuit device receives power from a power supply and is provided with a connection to ground, e.g., via a connection to VSS. Normally, the power and ground connections are connected to the integrated circuit device through power and ground planes. One issue with power and ground planes in modern integrated circuit devices is that they contribute to inductive ringing. In memory devices, ringing due to package self-inductance can slow down the external interface. It is very desirable to minimize the inductive path for the power supply and ground connections to improve the performance of the integrated circuit.
Inductive ringing has been addressed previously by increasing the number of power and ground lines such that each line handles a reduced capacitive load. However, increasing the number of lines may contribute to increased package size, which may also be undesirable. Conventional power supply and ground planes may be positioned on the semiconductor die contributing to larger die size. It is desirable to minimize, to the greatest possible extent, the die size to enable smaller integrated circuit devices to be produced.
Another issue with power supply and ground planes is the necessity to provide capacitive decoupling. Commonly, decoupling capacitors are used to provide the necessary decoupling for the integrated circuit device. Again, these decoupling devices add to cost and size.
Circuit boards and other carrier substrates or platforms, both single- and multi-level, are employed to mechanically support and electrically connect both active devices, such as semiconductor dies, as well as passive components, such as resistors, capacitors and inductors. Conventional system in package (SIP) and multi-chip package (MCP) assemblies typically include discrete components of both classes, e.g., resistors, capacitors and inductors, as well as various solid state “chips” or “dies” hard wired, plugged, soldered, ball-bonded or otherwise electrically connected to a conductor network carried by a platform such as a card, board or other substrate. In the prior art, discrete capacitors as well as resistors and inductors are often required to be placed on the platform in combination with adjacent, associated semiconductor die, for example in the construction of a single in-line memory module (SIMM) or dual in-line memory module (DIMM). With the increased circuit densities required by ever-faster processors and larger memories, due to a generally fixed board or platform area, commonly termed “real estate” in the semiconductor industry, the use of discrete passive components is viewed as an undesirable but hitherto necessary waste of real estate which could otherwise be applied to better and higher uses.
While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the description herein of specific embodiments is not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.